Tier 9... wut?

[Hitshade]

They did the same thing in BC. You could get the previous instance item level gear with badges. Giving them the entire tier set for badge costs doesn't really bother me all that bad. I agree with you that it sucks to some extent, but its not a game breaker, they do it for PvP gear only fair that its done for PvE gear.

I'm enjoying Ulduar and the fact that it does require peoples ability to accomplish the hardmodes where the smallest mistake can end up in a wipe ( which is what it was like in Sunwell ). Giving players gear doesn't really mean anything if they cant do anything with it. Heres to Icecrown being worth the wait.

Conqueror badges dropping in heroics and the new badges (triumph?) dropping from daily dungeon quests is just taking it too far. In BC you couldn't get the highest level gear by running non-heroic dungeons. It further removes the exclusivity of being a "hardcore" player. I don't fault Blizzard for wanting to cater to its much larger casual player base. If I was raking in upwards of $165,000,000 per month in subscription fees I too would do everything possible to keep that revenue stream.

I also like Ulduar, I think overall it has an excellent design and ties into the warcraft lore fairly well. My main issue with the direction of raiding as a whole is that the achievement system just isn't enough of a reward for me. A shitty title, or a mount and a couple pieces of gear just doesn't feel like enough. In BC, when you were decked out in tier 6 you were in what was still a relatively exclusive club. Particularly if you were wearing even one piece of Sunwell gear. People could tell just by your characters appearance that you were probably a skilled player (or at very least capable). Even more so than pre-BC raids, in which 20-25 skilled players could carry another 20 to tier. (The exception being AQ and Naxx in its original form)

Now, every idiot with a few hours to spare is/will be running around in gear that (as far as Im concerned) they didn't earn and don't deserve. It serves to further my frustration with anyone putting groups together for anything other than Ulduar with a "gear" requirement. Gear can no longer be associated with skill in the same way it used to be. Granted it was never the end-all-be-all measurement of a player. But that is beside the point.

Along with the game feeling dated in general, the new direction has been being driving me away. (Perhaps Im just looking for an excuse to leave, idk). Either way, Im beginning to feel like my time with this game is coming to an end. With Aion (possibly), SW:ToR and even FFXIV on the horizon I can say that its only a matter of time before I leave warcraft behind.

(Mind you of course, I said the same thing when Conan came out)